Making the rat-tastic sequel A Plague Tale: Requiem

gamedeveloper.com:

A Plague Tale: Innocence was one of the game industry's surprise hits of 2019. Asobo Studio jumped into the single-player adventure genre dominated by the likes of Naughty Dog and delivered something fresh and different. The studio mixed together a healthy amount of historical authenticity, an otherworldly rat plague, and a sincere cast of teenage heroes—and the result was something unique and special in a genre defined by run-and-gun gameplay.

The title would go on to sell one million copies in about a year, and a sequel, titled A Plague Tale: Requiem, was announced in 2021. Though the first game left some plot threads hanging (the rat plague's supernatural origins, how Amicia and Hugo de Rune would survive a new life on the move), it was worth asking—how could Asobo top the first game's freshness in a sequel? 

What technical or gameplay improvements could be made in a game that had such a focused gameplay loop? How could the hordes of rats be made any more terrifying? In a conversation with Game Developer, game director Kevin Choteau broke down what Asobo's goals were for the sequel, and explained how the team took inspiration from the rich history of Southern France.

The business of video game studios makes it very difficult to stop with one successful single-player game. If you've got a hit on your hands, your studio needs sequels or successors to keep the lights on. Asobo at least has the benefit of being buoyed by Microsoft Flight Simulator, but you'd be forgiven for assuming the company would pursue a Plague Tale sequel out of sheer financial need.

To hear Choteau describe it, A Plague Tale: Requiem was only ever going to happen if the development team could find a story they wanted to tell for Amicia, Hugo, and their